I have worked with many women who have been abused sexually by family members: brothers, fathers, and uncles. For some of them, the abuse started when they were little, for some when they were older. For many of them, the abuse went on for years, and for some, well into their twenties. Sexual abuse by a person who inherently has emotional power over you is simply that: abuse. There is an emotional power differential inherent in the...

Do you scream at your kids to “stop fighting and just get along”? You may want to think again — you could be doing more harm than good. Our expert tells you why. “Just love each other!” is what my mom used to say, begging with tears in her eyes to her three little girls while they were fighting. I realize that she was only doing her best at the time. You would think this is not such a bad thing to want...

The Rose family’s end-of-summer vacation was anything but relaxing when their trip to Lake Tahoe turned into a medical emergency. Rob, the father, woke up disoriented and confused, which is unusual but not completely unexpected, considering Rob is a quadriplegic. “It was really scary being away,” said Rob’s wife, Lisa, who had high hopes for this last getaway before the kids went back to school. It turns out that Rob had...

It’s about as sordid as a story can get: Jaycee Lee Dugard, then 11 years old, kidnapped and kept as a sex slave in a backyard for 18 years, bears her captor’s two children. The alleged perpetrators of the crime are convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, both charged with 29 counts of kidnapping, rape, and lewd acts with a minor. When trying to process the story, it’s easy to want to believe that Nancy...

Hope and courage! These are the two words that come to my mind while watching the statement made by Tina Dugard, Jaycee’s aunt, regarding the reunification and reconnection of Jaycee and her mom, Terry Probyn. I am extremely hopeful for Jaycee and her daughters. As a clinical psychologist, it was clear to me that the family is doing everything right in regards to beginning the healing process for Jaycee and her daughters. This is a time...

Nancy Garrido‘s attorney says that she misses and loves her daughters. She is, of course, referring to kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard‘s biological daughters, fathered by her accused captor and rapist Phillip Garrido — Nancy’s husband. Make no mistake about it, prosecutors have given Nancy Garrido equal billing when it comes to the criminal counts, hitting her with the same 29 charges her husband is facing — which...